Railway container transhipment device

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a railway container transshipment device, which for practical purposes has two chassis units, one lifting device mounted on the chassis unit and fastening elements for the containers. The invention is characterized in that two crane units ( 25   a,    25   b ), positioned for practical purposes in mirror symmetry and designed to co-operate with one another, form the lifting device, that the crane units ( 25   a,    25   b ) comprise a respective rotating chassis ( 3 ), a lower jib ( 4 ), an upper jib ( 5 ), a lower actuating member ( 7 ), an upper actuating member ( 8 ) and a lifting member ( 6 ), that the chassis units ( 2   a,    2   b ) are interconnected by an axially displaceable unit ( 13 ) and that the angle (B), formed between the longitudinal axis ( 26 ) (viewed from above) of the crane units ( 25   a,    25   b ) that lift the container and the longitudinal axis ( 27 ) of the transshipment device ( 20 ) is proportional to the distance (A) between the chassis units ( 2   a,    2   b ).

[0001] The object of the invention is a railway container transhipment device, comprising—preferably two—underframes, an elevating mechanism fixed to the underframe and container clamping elements.

[0002] Due to environmental protection reasons, it is a primary goal of the European countries to direct a part of road freight traffic to the railway lines. One problem with this is that at the present it is quite difficult to take over the containers from camions to freight-wagons and from freight-wagons to camions. The containers are most commonly taken over using overhead travelling cranes. The cranes usually lift the containers from the top, which has significant disadvantages in case of electrical railway lines, as these cranes can not be used in case of electrical railway lines. It these cases the wagons are pulled to a railway track with no electrical wire by a diesel locomotive for taking the containers over, which is quite time-consuming and requires significant energy. There are several types of side-lift trucks and loaders as well. These are used where there are no cranes available. Their disadvantage is that they also lift the containers into significant height, so they can not be used with electrical lines. A further disadvantage of the trucks and side loaders is that they can not easily move between the rails and that they can work only at one side.

[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 3,637,100 introduces a fork-lift truck, the fork unit of which can be tilted and moved in three dimensions. However, this truck of high mobility can not be suitably used at railway tracks, it can be primarily used in smaller storerooms. U.S. Pat No. DE 2,521,087 describes a self-contained loader device that can be placed on the platform of the transporting vehicle. The loader device is situated on rails fixed on the vehicle. It is a disadvantage of this construction that each transporting vehicle should be supplied with such a device, which would involve unreasonable expenses. U.S. Pat. No. DE 2,855,665 presents a solution where the containers are taken over by a mechanism with supporting rollers. The camion must range closely to the railway wagon, and the container is translated by rolls of the same level. It is a disadvantage of this solution that it is uncomfortable, and also, each vehicle should be equipped with a mechanism with supporting rollers, which is quite expensive.

[0004] U.S. Pat. No. DE 1,531,990 describes a container handling apparatus which is fixed on a vehicle supplied with wheels, and equipped with an elevating mechanism moving along on rails protruding from the vehicle at its two sides. The elevating mechanism is working between the carrying rails. Its disadvantage is that the containers can only be taken over in restricted circumstances, as the rails carrying the elevating mechanism are situated at the two sides of the container, which also means that the apparatus is only suitable for taking over containers standing alone. However, containers are usually placed close to each other on vehicles, so this apparatus can not be used there.

[0005] Patent specifications HU 214,170 and WO 97/03.014 present a container elevating and moving vehicle that can be used at electrical railway lines as well. The vehicle is a double-sided side-loading device with a parallel-moving container catching frame. For taking over a container to the other side the container must be put down, and than the elevating mechanism must be got through under the container so as to catch the container again. The container can be placed on the other transporting vehicle afterwards. It is a disadvantage of this method that the containers can only be caught at their side, therefore it can only be applied with containers that are supplied with catch-holes on their side. It is also disadvantageous that it has several parallel telescopes and surfaces moving near each other, and it is very difficult and expensive to prevent them from dirt and to ensure precise parallelism. This mechanism is not commonly used in practice.

[0006] Patent specification WO 01/28.836 published after our priority date presents an improvement of the above mechanism. This mechanism is suitable for catching the container from the top as well with a protruding beam. Similarly to the above one, this mechanism can only be moved parallel to the co-ordinate axis, resulting in several disadvantages. It can only load vehicles standing exactly parallel to the rails. It contains flat sliding mechanisms, where there is significant friction and abrasion, and the mechanism may got stuck. In order to avoid getting stuck, the structure must be very stable and solid from the mechanical point of view, as no elastic deformation is allowed either. The massive structure increases the weight and the cost of the apparatus. It is also disadvantageous that in case of interim placement, the container is supported not at its corner piece, increasing the probability of damage. For taking over a container to the other side the container must be caught again, which increases the cycle time. In case of a container of 8.5 tons, there will be a torque of 22 mt at the end of the upper beam, as a result of which the beam is slightly bent, resulting in a slightly tilted position of the container, which makes the exact positioning of the container more difficult. It also makes the exact positioning of the container difficult that the stabilizer mechanism is not supplied with rolls, therefore no longitudinal adjustment is possible after the container has been caught. The required mid-distance of the rails is 5 meters.

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the disadvantages of the existing mechanisms and to develop a railway container transhipment device which can operate at electrical railway tracks as well, which can catch the container from the top as well, which is reliable, can quickly load in both directions, the position of the container is easily adjustable, therefore the container can be positioned very accurately, and which can be applied with different types of containers.

[0008] The fundamental idea of the invention is that if space-saving and cooperating crane units and underframe units are connected in a way that they can move relative to each other, the resulting mechanism will be better than the known ones.

[0009] In accordance with the desired target, the railway container transhipment device according to the invention, comprising—preferably two—underframes, an elevating mechanism fixed on the underframe and container clamping elements, is designed in a way that the elevating mechanism comprises two—preferably mirrorsymmetric—crane units suitable for cooperating with each other, the crane unit comprises a bogie, a lower boom and an upper boom, a lower moving gear and an upper moving gear and a lifting element, the underframes are connected to each other by an axial moving unit, and the angle between the top-view longitudinal axis of the crane unit elevating the container and the longitudinal axis of the container transhipment device is proportional to the distance between the underframes.

[0010] It can be a further characteristic feature of the invention that a stand unit is situated between the underframes, suitable for temporarily supporting the container. The stand unit has supporting wheels which supporting wheels bear up on the same railtrack as the wheels of the underframes.

[0011] At one embodiment there are connecting elements between the underframes situated parallel with the railtrack, the connecting elements pass through one underframe, while they are fixed to the other underframe. The connecting element is joining to the longitudinal supporting unit situated on the railtrack.

[0012] At another possible embodiment the lifting element is connected to the upper boom by a hinged member, and is in connection with the clamping element, or, in certain cases, with the suspension unit. The suspension unit has a hinged or telescopic suspension arm and catch elements suitable for fixing the lower part of an exchangeable superstructure.

[0013] It may also be a characteristic feature that the length of the lower boom can be telescopically varied. The lower moving gear and the upper moving gear include a hydraulic working cylinder or a screw spindle. There is a transversal supporting unit connected to the underframe suitable for bearing up on a supporting rail running parallel to the railtrack.

[0014] The railway container transhipment device according to the invention has a plenty of advantages. It facilitates railway trucking getting more and more popular. It can be operated even at railtracks with electric trolley wire. The small length of lifting of containers reduces the general safety hazard connected to lifting. It can be manufactured at lower cost as compared to the known container transhipment device s. Its operation is also more favourable as loading can highly be automatized. It is especially favourable that there is no need for building special loading areas or container terminals, and that there is no need for a diesel locomotive.

[0015] Further advantageous features are that the container is lifted over to the other side in one step, the position of the container can easily be adjusted, making accurate positioning possible, the mechanism is not sensitive to elastic deformations, and it can be applied even in case of the standard 4 meter mid-distance of rails. There is a possibility to apply roller supports.

[0016] In what follows, the invention is described in more detail in connection with particular embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0017]FIG. 1 is a lateral view of the device,

[0018]FIG. 2 is a top view of the device,

[0019]FIG. 3 is a top view drawing illustrating the catching of the container,

[0020]FIG. 4 is a top view drawing of the elevated container, in its position turned above the device,

[0021] FIGS. 5-9 show the steps of taking over the container from the front view,

[0022]FIG. 10 is a schematic drawing of catching the exchangeable superstructure with the suspension unit.

[0023]FIG. 1 shows that the underframe 2 a and 2 b of the railway container transhipment device according to the invention is situated on the railtrack 15, the space-saving elevating mechanism of which is constituted by the crane units 25 a and 25 b. The crane units 25 a and 25 b comprise the bogie 3, the telescopic lower boom 4, the upper boom 5 and the lifting element 6. The lower boom 4 and the upper boom 5 are operated by the lower moving gear 7 and the upper moving gear 8, respectively. The bar-shaped lifting element 6 is connected to the upper boom 5 with the hinged member 17 inserted, which hinged member 17 makes two-way movement of the lifting element 6 possible. The clamping element 16 is connected to the lifting element 6.

[0024] There are connecting elements 10 situated between the underframes 2 a and 2 b parallel with the railtrack 15. The connecting elements 10 are fixed to the underframe 2 a, pass through the underframe 2 b and join to the longitudinal supporting unit 11. There is a stand unit 9 situated between the underframes 2 a and 2 b, suitable for temporarily supporting the container. The stand unit 9 with the supporting wheels 24 bear up on the railtrack 15. The lower moving gear 7 and the upper moving gear 8 include hydraulic working cylinders.

[0025]FIG. 2 shows the top view of the embodiment presented in FIG. 1. The equipment or device is situated on railtrack 15. Crane unit 25 a is on the underframe 2 a, crane unit 25 b is on the underframe 2 b. The underframes 2 a and 2 b are connected by the telescopic axial moving unit 13 as well. One can see the connecting element 10, the stand unit 9 and the lifting element 6 hanging above them. The stability of the device is ensured by the longitudinal supporting unit 11 and the transversal supporting units 12. The transversal supporting units 12, which can be slipped out from the underframes 2 a and 2 b, can bear up on the supporting rail 14 running near the railtrack 15.

[0026]FIGS. 3 and 4 show a top view of the device in operation. The device is situated on railtrack 15. In FIG. 3, the container 22 is above the neighbouring railtrack or the road near the railtrack 15. The transversal supporting units 12 are resting on the supporting rail 14 and can revolve on that as well. The crane units 25 a and 25 b hold the container 22 with the lifting element 6. For this purpose the underframe 2 b had to move off the longitudinal supporting unit 11 according to the size of the container 22. The top-view longitudinal axis 26 of the crane unit 25 a and 25 b is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 27 of the device. “B” denotes the angle between the longitudinal axes 26 and 27. “A” denotes the distance between the underframes 2 a and 2 b.

[0027] When the container 22 is lifted over, the crane units 25 a and 25 b are turning on the bogie 3 in opposite direction, suitably turning inside in a mirrorsymmetric way, while the underframe 2 b, due to the geometrical constraint path, is moving backward towards the longitudinal supporting unit 11. If necessary, the underframe 2 a is moving in the opposite direction. The underframes 2 a and 2 b are moved by the axial moving unit 13. During the movement, the transversal supporting units 12 are also rolling, even if loaded. Angle “B” between the top-view longitudinal axis 26 of the crane units 25 a and 25 b lifting the container 22 and the longitudinal axis 27 of the device is proportional to distance “A” between the underframes 2 a and 2 b. In FIG. 4 the container 22 is completely turned above the device. In this position the distance between the underframes 2 a and 2 b is the largest.

[0028] FIGS. 5-9 show the road transporting vehicle 19, the container transhipment device 20, the container 22 and the railway transporting vehicle 21. In FIG. 5, the container 22 is caught on the railway transporting vehicle 21, in FIG. 6 it is lifted. At this example, the container 22 is caught by the lifting frame situated above the container 22. It can be seen that the height of the container transhipment device 20 is only slightly exceeding the height of the container 22, so it keeps a safe distance from the electric trolley wire. In FIG. 7, the container 22 is turned to be above the container transhipment device 20, and in FIG. 8 it is lifted over the road transporting vehicle 19, and in FIG. 9 the container 22 is put on the road transporting vehicle 19.

[0029]FIG. 10 shows an embodiment with exchangeable superstructure 23, and the catching of the exchangeable superstructure 23 is shown. The exchangeable superstructures 23 are structures used in combined road and railway transport, that have only bottom corner pieces of standardized size and distance. These can be caught and lifted by the suspension unit 18. The suspension unit 18 has a hinged or telescopic suspension arm 29 and catch elements 28.

[0030] The railway container transhipment device according to the invention is suitable for lifting over any kind of containers of usually 3-12 m length. The containers can be placed on each other if required. If the device has to put down the container on any reason, e.g. for carrying it as a vehicle, the container can be placed on the stand unit 9 by tilting the upper boom 5. The lifting elements 6 are primarily suitable for catching corner pieces meeting the ISO standard at the upper holes. The bottom corner pieces can be lifted by the catch elements 28 at the side holes. The revolving units of the elevating mechanisms are hydromotors, working cylinders or revolving electric machines, in combination with driving gears if necessary.

[0031] Several other embodiments of the railway container transhipment device according to the invention can be implemented within the scope of the invention. 

1. Railway container transhipment device comprising—preferably two—underframes (2 a, 2 b), an elevating mechanism fixed on the underframes (2 a, 2 b) and container clamping elements (16), the elevating mechanism comprises two—preferably mirrorsymmetric—crane units (25 a, 25 b) suitable for cooperating with each other, the crane unit (25 a, 25 b) comprises a bogie (3), a lower boom (4) and an upper boom (5), a lower moving gear (7) and an upper moving gear (8) and a lifting element (6), characterized in that the underframes (2 a, 2 b) are connected to each other by a—preferably telescopic—axial moving unit (13) suitable for defining the distance between them, and the angle (B) between the top-view longitudinal axis (26) of the crane unit (25 a, 25 b) elevating the container (22) and the longitudinal axis (27) of the container transhipment device (20) is proportional to the distance (A) between the underframes (2 a, 2 b).
 2. The device according to claim 1 characterized in that there is a stand unit (9) situated between the underframes (2 a, 2 b), suitable for temporarily supporting the container (22).
 3. The device according to claim 2 characterized in that the stand unit (9) has supporting wheels (24) which supporting wheels (24) bear up on the same railtrack (15) as the wheels (1) of the underframes (2 a, 2 b).
 4. The device according to any of claims 1-3 characterized in that there are connecting elements (10) between the underframes (2 a, 2 b) situated parallel with the railtrack (15), the connecting elements (10) pass through one underframe (2 b), while they are fixed to the other underframe (2 a).
 5. The device according to claim 4 characterized in that the connecting element (10) is joining to the longitudinal supporting unit (11) situated on the railtrack (15).
 6. The device according to any of claims 1-5 characterized in that the lifting element (6) is connected to the upper boom (5) by a hinged member (17), and is in connection with the clamping element (16), or, if required, with the suspension unit (18).
 7. The device according to claim 6 characterized in that the suspension unit (18) has a hinged or telescopic suspension arm (29) and catch elements (28) suitable for fixing the lower part of an exchangeable superstructure (23).
 8. The device according to any of claims 1-7 characterized in that there is a transversal supporting unit (12) connected to the underframe (2 a, 2 b) suitable for bearing up on a supporting rail (14) running parallel to the railtrack (15). 